June 17 is the deadline for one-page proposals on gender equality in academia and building research capacity in developing country libraries

By Ylann Schemm Posted on 6 May 2014

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The Elsevier Foundation is seeking grant proposals for the 2014 New Scholars and Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries programs. Grants focus on developing country libraries and scholars in the early stages of their careers.

The deadline for applications is June 17. Grants, to be awarded in December, will provide one-, two- and three-year awards of between $5,000 and $50,000 a year for a total of $100,000.

Forty shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full proposals by September 3rd.

How to apply

Visit the Elsevier Foundation website to learn more about the Innovative Libraries and New Scholars grants. The foundation will accept one-page applications until June 17 via elsevier.fluidreview.com. Forty shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full proposals by September 3.

"This year, as we look for projects to advance women in science and build capacity in libraries in low- and middle-income countries, we will search for even stronger outcome and impact evaluation," said David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation. "Because our grants often provide that first proof-of-concept funding, projects should serve as compelling models offering strong multiplier effects."

The Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries program provides grants to libraries in the developing world to improve access to scientific, technical and medical information. The 2014 program priorities include measuring the overall impact of access to information on health, agriculture and the general social and economic wellbeing of a community. Additional priorities include professional training enabling librarians to serve as pivotal advocates in their research ecosystems and projects which demonstrate the link between research access, training, usage and health impact.

The New Scholars program supports projects to help early- to mid-career women scientists balance family responsibilities with demanding academic careers and addresses the attrition rate of talented women scientists. Recent grants have promoted institutional research, advocacy, and policy development to retain, recruit and develop women in science and have enabled researchers to attend conferences critical to their careers by assisting with childcare, mentorship and networking. Since 2010, the New Scholars program has also focused on the developing world through support of recognition awards and national gender-benchmarking research mapping the opportunities and obstacles faced by women in science, technology and innovation.[divider]

Find out how past Elsevier Foundation grants have made a difference in these Elsevier Connect stories:

Elsevier Connect Contributor

Ylann Schemm (@ylannschemm) heads Elsevier's corporate responsibility program, which focuses on advancing women in science and developing research access in the developing world. She serves as the Program Director of the Elsevier Foundation's New Scholars program, which supports projects to expand the participation of women in STEM, and the Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries program, which supports capacity-building projects in science, technology and medicine. Ylann works closely with the Research4Life partnership, chairing the communications and marketing team, which seeks to raise awareness and usage of the programs.